What is assessment and rating?

Assessment and rating is a formal quality assurance process conducted by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) to evaluate how child care services in Perth and across Australia meet the National Quality Standard (NQS). Each service receives an on-site assessment that examines seven quality areas: educational leadership and management, children's health and safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, collaborative partnerships with families and communities, and governance and administration.

Following the assessment, services receive a rating in each quality area and an overall rating. The four possible ratings are: working towards the NQS, meeting the NQS, exceeding the NQS, and excellent. These ratings tell families and the community how well a service is performing and provide guidance for ongoing improvement. Services rated working towards or meeting receive follow-up visits, while those exceeding or excellent demonstrate consistent quality practice.

For Perth parents searching for care, understanding a service's assessment rating helps identify providers that have been independently verified against consistent national standards. While individual ratings reflect a moment in time, they offer transparent evidence of quality. Finding providers with strong ratings supports families in making informed choices aligned with their expectations for their child's learning and wellbeing.